Electric gas-lighter.



R. F. DOWDY.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1918.

1,295,285. Patented Feb.25,1919.

I a---- 1; n3

' noke, in the'county of Roanoke and State" 1 U I ED STATES PATENToration-.1]

"ROY F. DOWDY, OFlROALNOKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO SAFETY GASLIGHTER-CORPO- RATION, or ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, :ROY F. Downy, a.c1t1 zen of the United. States,reslding at Roaof Virginia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric (Eras-Lighters, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to electric gas light- 1 ers and the generalobject thereof 1s to p rovide improvements in devices-for igniting gasat gas burners or the like by means of a v spark derived from anordinary house-light- With' this general and other ing circuit.

. specific objects in view the invention consists particularly claimed.

of the formation, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereindescribed and In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view showingthe associated parts of the device in their connectedrelationship. Inthis figure the parts areshown in longitudinal section and also theordinary wiring and the gas stove or burner is omitted. F ig. 2 is atransverse section taken through the resistance unit on the line 22 ofFig. '1. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken through the lighting point onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a general view of the installedapparatus showing the relationship of the gas burner and also showing indiagram the electric wires.

In these drawings there is shown the customary wires 10 and 11 ofanalternating electric circuit and in this circuit is. connected in theusual manner a commercial socket or receptacle 13, which in the presentembodiment. is of the standard Edison .base

type. The wires 14 and 15 connect thi receptacle in the oircuit. The one'side 10 of the circuit is grounded as indicated at 16 and in theconnection of the lighting device the grounded contact of the receptacleis blanked off or insulated in a manner to be later described as theungrounded side only is used from the receptacle on.

A-gas stove 17 is shown, this having burner 18. A metallic gas supplypipe 19 must be suitably connected to or embedded in the ground which isindicated at 20.

- Attached to'the receptacle by screwing it into the Edison base is arelatively fixed resistance unit 21 and a single wire 22 connects thiswith. a movable lighting point .23, the; latter having an electrode 242which is located adjacent the gas burner and is adapted to beSpecification of Letters Patent.

Thus making and breaking the circuit through the ungrounded side of, thecircuit and the metallic gas pipe "groundthe gas may be ignited in asafe and conven ent manner.

Also the life of the parts is increased and the constructionsimplified.'At 25 is shown how more than .one lighting point may be supplied from asingle resistance unit. 1

'.The resistance unit is constructed of a tu- Patented Feb. 25, 1919.Application filed March 23, 1918: Serial No. 224,259. I

' brought-into momentary contact with the V metallic burner.

bular body or casin'g26 which is made of wood, rubber mother-insulatingmaterial and the upper end of this tube is exteriorly' threaded at 27 tocoiiperatewith the threads of the Edison base, thus in 'a simple mannerinsulating the wire 14 and the connected. terminal of the receptacle,the wire 15 being v connected to the other terminal of the receptacle. AU-shaped' leaf spring ll-is secured within the cavity of the body and atthe upper end thereof by means of the bolt 28. g This boltextendsaxially of the tubular body through the upper end or integralhead l 'of the same and the exposed bolt head 25) forms acontactor forthe central terminal of the receptacle. The resistance ele-ment30 ismade up of a suitable length of fiat resistance wire 31 which is woundin a helical path upon a core 32 of molded asbestos, the turns of thewire being properly spaced from each other. The core is of lessdiameterthan the cavity of the casing 26 and is also provided with an inner'head 33 and an,.outer head 34, thesebeing made of an insulatingmaterial such as hard fiber and being of suchdimensions as to fit snuglywithin the cavity of the easing 26. A bolt 35 passes axially throughboth of these heads and through the core and is used to clamp theseparts together. The head of the bolt is let into the outer face of thehead 34 and the point of the bolt is arranged to contact the free-end ofthe leaf spring 4-1.

The casing 26 is formed with a detachable head 36 at its lower end, thisbeing screwed to the main portion of the casing. Overlying theinsulating head 34 is an insulating shield 37 which is attached to thehead 34 by means of the two bolts 38, these being isoneath the nut onhead 43 and the body is an insulating washer" secured -by means of bolts46 a longitudlmetallic leaf f spring 47.1 'p 'The lower terminal. of thewire 22-is secured- I electric circuit having one lated from centralbolt'35. This shield insulates the head of the bolt 35- and,. its edgescasing 26 and the head 36.

4 Current passes through the bolt 28 and the leaf spring 41 to thebolt35. The upper terminal of theresistance wire ,31 is secured currentpasses thence through the resistance wire to the one bolt 38.]v Ametallic connector 39 extends between the bolts 38 and carries thecurrent to end of which is secured beneath the nut of the other ofknotted within the cavity of the head 36 so that the connections arerelieved from. me

chanical strains. v

The lighting point 23 is likewise made up of 'a hollow'body 42 ofinsulating'material with a detachable upper head 43 screwed to itandthrough which the wire 22- passes, the

wire being similarly knotted at 44 within the I cavity of the head.Clamped between the 45- and to the lower or inner face thereof is nallyextending,

one.;of the bolts 46;. r

The wall of the body 42 is pierced to admit a push button 48, through achannel in the inner portion of which the leaf spring 47 is passed. Theleaf spring'thus retains'the beneath the nut on push button and thelatter in turn prevents the rotation of the leaf spring and the washer45' within the body. Extending through the lower integral head of thebody 42 is the electrode 24 which has a surrounding shield49. Both theinner end and the outer point of the electrode, however, are exposed,the

and the former for conof the leaf spring 47 48 is depressed. Currentwill thus, when the circuit is closed by depressing the 'push button,pass through the wire 22, one of the bolts 46, and

are clamped betweenth e body of be. the bolt 35 and hence the Z the wire22, the upper g ,connection"w1th receptacle wired in'-- the said circuitin the. hollow member formed of; an insulating material-and adapted tobeat-Q these bolts 38. The wire 22 is 1 1" burner and adapted to sulatingmaterial 'ceptacle,

latter for contacting the metal drawing the electrode overtthe gasburner 50..-

an igniting spark may be safely obtained. Thus has been describedapreferred em.

from the spirit thereofg;

} one side thereof rounded,- .a:;jgasb urner having a metallic heground, a commercial usual manner,v a

tachedto the receptaclefia res stance unit within the hollow "memberarranged. to'xbe.

'bodiment of the PrQ nt invention. Other embodiments are possible withinthe scope", 1 of the appendedclaims.without.departing connected totheungrounded side of the-cir-;

cuit when the said member .is

attached to the receptacle, the attachmentbeing fsuclr as to insulatethe grounded side of the circuitat the receptacle, a lightingpoint'adjac'ent the be brought into momentary contact therewith, and aconnection between the resistance unit and the lighting oint. 2. In anelectric gas lighting side thereof grounded, a screw-base receptaclewired therein, a tubular member formed of an inand having threads-on oneend thereof to cooperate with those of the refrom through the screw-endof the tubulardevice an 7 a resistance unit within the recep-Q A. 7

member and adapted to contact the central electric termlnal within thevreceptacle, means at the other her for entering and for restraining theresistance un1t,-a

' connection with the ground, a lighting point adjacent the burner, anda connection tween Point. p

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ROY F. D-OWDY.

end of the tubular memgas burner having a metallic the resistanceunitan'd' the lighting

